A new principal will welcome students to Cobleskill-Richmondville’s Radez School next month.
The school board appointed Carey Raymond as principal at a special meeting last Wednesday.
Ms. Raymond, whose salary will be $91,000, succeeds Eric Whipple, who left Radez to become superintendent at Charlotte Valley.
A teacher for 19 years, Ms. Raymond is making the jump to administration. She starts Monday.
“I wanted to be part of a team that supports the whole system,” said Ms. Raymond, who taught special ed at Berne-Knox-Westerlo for 14 years before teaching general education last year.
“I want to help educate all students. . .branch out of the classroom a little.”
She was impressed with a tour of Radez, which has grades three through five.
“With three to five, I’ll still stay very, very connected to students,” Ms. Raymond said. “I don’t want to be removed.”
She taught four years at a Capital Region BOCES high school for intense needs students for four years before moving to Berne-Knox.
At BKW, Ms. Raymond, 41, was science curriculum coordinator and a member of the district’s Building Leadership and Thought teams.
She described her strengths as “passionate, energetic and excited about learning.”
“I believe that every single student is capable of learning,” she added. “Students can learn to grow in a fun and positive way.”
The same is true for the staff, Ms. Raymond said, explaining that she favors “the team approach so we can all learn from each other.”
It’s those qualities that attracted C-R to Ms. Raymond, school board President Bruce Tryon said.
“The Radez and entire Cobleskill-Richmondville community will soon witness the enthusiasm and passion that Ms. Raymond will bring to her work,” Mr. Tryon said.
“Her depth of knowledge in classroom instruction and curriculum development will benefit all those at Radez Elementary.”
Because this is Ms. Raymond’s first administrative post, she wants to build confidence––in herself and in others.
“I have a lot to offer, but I was hesitant in taking the next step,” she said. “And I want people to feel confident in me.”
That’s already happened to some degree.
“The people I’ve met and talked to have been so supportive, and I haven’t even started yet,” Ms. Raymond said.
She was interviewed twice for the Radez post, the first by administrators, teachers and board members; the second included students.
“There was a panel of fifth-graders who interviewed me,” Ms. Raymond said. “That was so cool. I thought, ‘I want to be part of this.’ ”
Living in Duanesburg and teaching at BKW, Ms. Raymond is familiar with C-R. Neighboring districts often share professional development sessions and information.
“Cobleskill-Richmondville’s been a leader in our area,” she said. “It’s a wonderful school district.”
She and her husband, Brent, have three children: Ella, Grant and Calvin.